When Goethe undertook his first Italian journey the country was already a popular destination. The beautiful scenery, the architectural master works, the many Roman ruins and buildings still attract people on educational journeys.

The Italian countries united under Victor Emmanuel II between 1861 and 1870 to form the Kingdom of Italy with Rome as the capital. After World War II the population voted in a referendum for the abolition of the monarchy.

Although the Republic of Italy had approximately 60 changes of government during its 54 years of existence it is thought of as a stable democracy. That is chiefly due to a certain political composure and tolerance of its citizens and their ability to laugh at themselves. One example is a series of films produced at the height of the Cold War about Don Camillo and Peppone: the Catholic priest and the Communist Lord Mayor fight each other, but with cleverness and craftiness they always achieve something positive for the village in the end. Part of the Italian life style is good food and drink. The cuisine has been introduced to all countries Italians emigrated to. Italy's contribution to world culture is not limited to ancient Rome. The cultural changes of the Renaissance spread from Italy and Florence with painters and architects like Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci. The world of opera would be much poorer without the works of Verdi, Rossini and Puccini. In the area of literature one should mention Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio. Modern film production has been strongly influenced by directors like Rossellini, de Sica, Fellini, Pasolini and Visconti.